The equation of state was originally developed for ideal gases, and proved central to the development of early molecular and atomic physics. Increasingly sophisticated equations of state have been developed to take into account molecular interactions, quantization, relativistic effects, etc.Extreme conditions of matter are encountered both in nature and in the laboratory, for example in the centres of stars, in relativistic collisions of heavy nuclei, in inertial confinement fusion (where a temperature of 109 K and a pressure exceeding a billion atmospheres can be achieved). A sound knowledge of the equation of state is a prerequisite for understanding processes at very high temperatures and pressures, as noted in some recent developments.This book presents a detailed pedagogical account of the equation of state and its applications in several important and fast-growing topics in theoretical physics, chemistry and engineering.Contents:A Summary of ThermodynamicsEquation of State for an Ideal GasLaw of Equipartition of Energy and Effects of Vibrational and Rotational MotionsBose–Einstein Equation of StateFermi–Dirac Equation of StateIonization Equilibrium and the Saha EquationDebye–Hückel Equation of StateThe Thomas–Fermi and Related ModelsGrüneisen Equation of StateAn Introduction to Fluid Mechanics in Relation to Shock WavesDerivation of Hydrodynamics from Kinetic TheoryStudies of the Equations of State from High Pressure Shock Waves in SolidsEquation of State and Inertial Confinement FusionApplications of Equations of State in AstrophysicsEquations of State in Elementary Particle PhysicsReadership: Upper level undergraduates, graduate students, researchers and academics in theoretical physics, theoretical and nuclear chemistry, materials and mechanical engineering.Key Features:This book is unique in its range of subject matter, its level of treatment, and the manner in which the material is related to its historical and intellectual context. The topics chosen are of fundamental importance, of topical interest, or illustrate particularly important interactions between scientific developments and societyEach topic is presented within its historical context, and with descriptions of the key players and what was at stake for themFinally, the underlying science is discussed in non-technical language in a context that makes it meaningful, and this principle is applied to such “difficult” topics as thermodynamics and the nature of chemical bonding